Switzerland: CONSULTANT - DESK ANALYSIS OF TDH DOCUMENTS ON COMMUNITIES ROLE IN CHILD PROTECTION

Organization: Terre des hommes Foundation Child Relief
Country: Switzerland
Closing date: 30 Sep 2014

****TERMS OF REFERENCE****

****CONSULTANT - DESK ANALYSIS OF TDH DOCUMENTS ON COMMUNITIES ROLE IN CHILD PROTECTION****

1. Background

Child protection is one of the domain of intervention of Tdh. By protection Terre des hommes refers to the protection of all the rights of the child as recognised by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the field, the organisation implements in partnership with national actors at all levels, various vertical thematic projects aiming at:

• Protecting children, including children on the move, against exploitation, abuse and trafficking
• Protecting children in contact with the law
• Protecting children affected by humanitarian crisis
• Protecting children lacking parental care

More recently, Tdh has also developed programs aiming at enhancing child protection systems, serving the protection of the rights of all children in a given territory.

In all these areas of protection, Tdh works in close collaboration with State and non-State actors of protection, including the communities. While some organisations focus their support mainly on formal actors of protection, for Tdh the role of community remains very important. Hence the organisation commitment to work in support of communities for a better protection of children.

But how does the organisation work in support of communities in child protection? Has the organisation reflected sufficiently on how it works in support of communities so far? What are the links between the different approaches of community based child protection mechanisms? These questions become even more relevant when community is a very general and subjective term and could very well differ from context to context.

1. Where do we stand today

In order to answer the above-mentioned questions and others, few steps have already been taken by Tdh. In the last 2-3 years, different documents have been produced looking either at community child protection mechanisms in a given context of Tdh intervention or Tdh current practices of supporting community in child protection. Usually the support taken has been on the regional level and some of the documents produced include:

• Child protection Community Mechanism Rapid Survey West Darfur 2010
• Community practices in child protection, Examples of Brasil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Nicaragua
• Institutional learning on Tdh experience in community work in Latin America, 2011
• Terre des hommes Institutional learning: best practices for child protection in Islamic contexts : Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco 2012;
• The executive summaries of the studies on customary justice justice: Gaza, West Bank, Egypt, Afghanistan, Lebanon, 2012-2013
• Séminaire de travail communautaire, Saint Domingue – Equateur, 25-29 juin 2012 & Résultats du travail communautaire chez Tdh (même atelier)
• Tdh Thematic Policy on Juvenile Justice
• Tdh Thematic Policy Child Protection in Humanitarian Crisis;
• Tdh Thematic policy on Enhancing child protection systems;
• A Study on child protection, case studies from the region of Segou, Mali, 2014
• The added value of protective accompaniment of children (2014)
• Locally developed child protection practices concerning mobile children in West Africa (upcoming, 2014)

Other organisations facing similar challenges to Tdh have also invested in various studies about the role of community in child protection and how NGOs could support such role. The following studies are referred to:

• Wessells, M. What are we learning about protection children in the community (2009)
• Community exchange forum , List of research and studies undertaken 2009 – 2014 on community-based child protection systems , 2014
• Save the Children, “Strengthening National Child Protection Systems in Emergencies through Community-Based Mechanism”, 2010
• Laura Amore, La protection à base communautaire. 6 cas d’étude au Niger, Unicef, 2010
• The Colombia Group for Children in Adversity, Ethonographic study of community-based child protection mechanisms and their linkage with the national child protection system of Sierra Leone (2011)
• Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
• Objective of this study

The study aims at reviewing all the above mentioned literature and interview child protection advisors in order to provide a comparative analysis covering the following elements:

• Whether from the literature review, it appears that there is a clear understanding on the community role in child protection within Tdh (if yes describe how can this role be summarised)
• Are there common elements to be identified among Tdh child protection approaches and practices at community level as analysed in the internal literature (as for example model of intervention aiming at strengthening or supporting community role in Child protection, principles of action, activities, methodologies to assess the existing situation within the communities, etc.)
• What can Tdh learn from other agencies on how to further support communities for better child protection
• Propose some recommendations on how Tdh can better identify key areas needed to be further explored in its community approach aiming at improving Child protection community role.
• Product

A report of max 25 pages (body), in French or English, as well as an executive summary - and conclusions and a way forward- part.

1. Time-frame

The assignment is expected to be conducted within 10 days, within one month from the signing of the contract according to the general rules and conditions of Terre des hommes. Remote working is possible

1. Follow up

The findings of this study will feed the discussion within the protection unit leading on decisions on next steps of investment by this unit. They will also be discussed and feed into the large institutional work on accountability. The protection unit in consultation with quality and accountability adviser will also propose on how to further share the findings within the institution (both HQ and field level)

1. Applications

The consultant should provide a proposition (max. 2-3 pages in total) detailing the understanding of the assignment, a methodological approach and a draft analytical matrix to be developed further during the mandate.

1. Consultant profile
2. University or equivalent degree in social sciences, anthropology, community education, international development or related fields;
3. Extended working experience (>10 years) in community work and research;
4. French and English is a requirement, Spanish is an asset

Start Date : 1st of November 2014

How to apply:

All application (CV and a proposition detailing the understanding of the assignment) should be sent to fcr@tdh.ch until the 30th of September 2014